Does it make sense to "ignore low ball offers"?

A low offer is not as offensive as not making an offer at all.

50% of new if outside warranty always seemed to me to be a reasonable asking point when I’m selling and that’s how I bid when buying.

How did I come up with that number?

I bought a HK USP40 pistol about 25 years ago. Hated it. Ergonomics, size, fit, .40 cal impulse/noise etc. (my usual carry gun is a SIG P229 in 357 SIG, FWIW). 

As the saying goes, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Pistol sat in the safe for a few months, I took it to the LGS (Local Gun Store) where I was offered 50% of new price. Oh. I then sold it through Gunbroker to a guy about  20 miles away for 70% of the new price and he thought he was getting a great deal.

I consider what I “lose” in a sale to be “rent.”

So I bought the gun, ran a couple hundred rounds through it, took it to the range a couple times - what I “lost” might be close to what it would’ve cost to rent the gun, the lane, and the ammo from the local indoor range over that time so it’s kind of a breakeven point and a “stupid tax.”

Stereo gear? I see guys selling cartridges that were $6,000 new with - allegedly - very low hours for about half that but, there are many items on, say, USAudiomart that have been there for a year or more and the asking price is so close to new, forget about it. They’ll box the things up, stick ‘em in their attic and sell in ten years for more as “vintage.” Maybe.

This is called “Laissez-faire economics.” A thing is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, no more, no less.

It’s why I can’t watch another episode of - even a commercial for - “American Pickers” where you see some guy who’s a couple heartbeats short of a pine box and a wake telling the boys “I know what I got and it’s worth a lot more than that” but who’s buying? Iffen it don’t sell, it’s worth nothing, and it’s going to continue to sit in your garage collecting dust, rust and rats’ nests and excrement. That’s how I once bought a 1937 Harley Davidson knucklehead (EL?) for $200 back in 1974.

JMHO FWIW YMMV

Like the previous respondent, my standard reply to a “low ball” offer is to send a counteroffer at a price that is *higher* than my original listing price.   

I’ve tried for slightly below market but never lowballed anyone. I also won’t inquire if someone has has a ridiculously high priced item. There’s one guy with an amp on here that’s been for sale for 3 years lol.

There is nothing wrong with low ball offers . . . Sometimes a seller might be desperate to move something or needs to sell and you may not get your lowball price, but you might get a really good deal.  As a seller, I don't take offense and lowball offers.  I just say that they are way below the FMV for the item and that's that.  No need to get offended or huffy about it.  They just want a good deal and I'm OK with that.  I won't lowball anything, but doesn't hurt for a buyer to ask.

Some buyers just throw a low offer out there to see if it'll pan out because sometimes it does and its just what they do. Some are ignorant to the process. Some are just playing games. If the offer is ridiculously off the mark I just ignore because I'd rather not deal with folks in any of those categories...it rarely works out.

Everyone thinks of this differently. As for me, I’ve done a lot of buying and selling online. My F.S. listings are always priced rationally, and sometimes quite  aggressively (unlike some that are just 10%-15% under list price, which is silly). My my listings always say, "Please, no lowballs."

But of course lowballs pop up. The real reason is dedicated lowballers put out dozens of offers. Not a single offer is serious--usually they say little other than "will you take $xx?"--I have to assume the theory is every now & then the lowball will trigger a seller's desperation; then the lowballer can then flip & profit from the item.

I never give lowball offers to sellers and just don’t want to deal with them when I'm the seller. To my way of thinking, they’re just drive-by opportunists, the opposite of serious buyers.

the way i sees it, audiogon is (or at least used to be) a bastion of higher-minded gentlemen/gentlewomen who are supposed to follow a certain unwritten code. making stupid offers (or listing gear at outrageous prices) is a breach of the code which doesn't merit a response. now, there's nothing wrong with seeking a bargain, and "lowball" is an inherently subjective term, but (like pronography) we all know an insulting offer when we see one.

There is no point in adding "lowball offers will be ignored" to a listing other than being a bit snooty.  Just ignore any offer the seller considers unacceptable.

As far as following an unwritten code, lowball offers are no different than unrealistic asking prices.  40% of new retail for a used item is in the realistic ball park. Some brands or models can be in demand and fetch more.

Once made an opening offer of 50% of new retail that the seller considered insulting.  Asking price was 90% of what he claimed to have paid and $1K more than retail for the newest model.  There is unrealistic behavior at both ends of the spectrum.

Almost all the lowball offers I’ve received were from members with no feedback or a few with very little. Takes a few seconds to hit decline. This is a business site, nothing personal 

When I sell I try to set a realistic asking price. Do I build in some room? Sure. But say I’m selling and asking $5k but figure the first $4250 takes it. If someone offers me $650 that’s not a serious buyer. And even if we were to agree on a price experience tells me that this buyer is going to be an after sales headache. 

Serious buyers only can be used instead of lowball offer cheerfully declined. But frankly, getting annoyed that someone says they will decline low ballers is silly 

 Whenever I see a seller include the totally unnecessary line... "low ballers will be ignored", I say, it's too late. You've already acknowledged the low ballers by saying that. Fugettabadit!

I just politely decline their offer and thank them for visiting my ad. Takes 30 seconds and why get worked up about it? 

I've ignored low ballers (not just their 1st offer - all further attempts as well) MANY TIMES because - well, this is my hobby and I prefer to conduct it in ways that are enjoyable to me. Haggling, entertaining ridiculous lines of questioning (opening with "wHy ArE U sELLiNg"), and other "techniques" annoy the heck out of me, and I'll simply quietly move on (no need for exchanging insults). It won't kill me if a component doesn't move or takes longer to find the right buyer. I generally open pricing at least a little below the recent market, so any offer well below that generally gets a cringe reaction from me. ESPECIALLY if fielded within 24 hours of posting. Sometimes I ignore reasonable offers (not official offers which have expiration - offers in message form) that are a little below my ask - in those cases I'm probably waffling on selling the piece at all around that price, and it's not a matter of annoyance; I simply didn't get around to responding (I should do better in those cases).

Now once a potential buyer proves to be a serious and reasonable fellow, I very often go over-the-top trying to be helpful in their system setup and with any questions they have. I'm very happy to share my experiences in this hobby! 

And of course - once money changes hands, it's job #1 to be professional and promptly get the item delivered as advertised. No drama, no emotions!

When I see make an offer and no low baller . The seller is open to offer that is reasonable.He does not want to waste his time.